The site is located to the south of West 9th Avenue in the north-central area of Cordele, Crisp County, Georgia. The site tax parcel number is C11053 and consists of 0.92 acres of partially developed land. The property was used as the location for a city water works pumping station as early as 1918, if not earlier. Although the pumping station is no longer active, the remains of the structures still occupy the west area of the subject property. According to the Crisp County Tax Assessor, the City of Cordele is the current property owner; the property has been owned by the city since 1913.
In the earliest Sanborn map reviewed (1898), most of the subject property appears to be vacant, undeveloped land; the west area of the subject property is not covered by this Sanborn map. In the 1903 Sanborn map, two residential structures appear in the northwest area of the subject property, and a stable appears in the southeast area. Most of the subject property area remains undeveloped. In the 1908 Sanborn map, the previously listed structures have been removed from the subject property; two new structures (a restaurant and an adjoining vacant building) appear in the northeast corner of the subject property. In the 1913 Sanborn map, the restaurant in the northeast corner now appears listed as a barber shop and the vacant structure appears to be part of a pool hall. Several additional structures also appear in the east area of the subject property, including three restaurants, a tailor, and a structure listed as "fire ruins". Two residential structures appear in the northwest area of the subject property. In the 1918 Sanborn map, all previously listed structures have been removed from the subject property. A large pumping station labeled "Water Works Pumping Station" along with a 250,000-gallon reservoir and a 200,000-gallon concrete standpipe appear in the southwest area of the property; portions of these structures appear on the subject property and the immediately adjoining property to the south. The subject property appears relatively unchanged in the 1926 and 1948 Sanborn maps. In the 1948 aerial image, the subject property appears to consist of the Water Works Pumping Station, the reservoir, and standpipe to the west with vacant land to the east. The subject property appears relatively unchanged in the 1951, 1959, 1968, 1972, 1977, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1993, and 2007 Sanborn maps, aerial images, and/or topographic maps. In the 2010 aerial image, a pile of material (presumably gravel) appears in the east area of the subject property; the remaining area of the subject property appears relatively unchanged. In the 2015 aerial image, the subject property appears relatively unchanged; the east area of the property still appears to be in use as a small materials storage yard (i.e., gravel piles). The subject property appears relatively unchanged in the 2017, 2019, and 2020 topographic maps and aerial image.
Based on the historical information reviewed and the unregulated historical nature of many commercial and industrial practices, Terracon determined that the following historical uses of the subject property and/or adjacent properties are considered to be recognized environmental conditions (RECs): pumping station equipment (unknown what was used to fuel the pumps, presence of boiler room, etc.), historic railroads to the south (present from as early as 1903) and east (present from as early as 1891) of the subject property, the pressing/drycleaning shop on the north adjacent property (present on the property around 1926), and the transformer yard on the north adjacent property (present from as early as 1959).
The site is currently developed with a defunct water works, with a concrete reservoir, pumping station and a concrete water tower to the west and undeveloped land to the east. A large area of tar was observed on the ground in the southern part of the site; this tar is considered to be a REC. Debris, comprised of the structure